Chapter 16 Section 2
-Many Northern political leaders believed that the
Confederate states had left the Union and must apply for
readmission as new states
 Because Congress alone has the power to admit new
states they argued that Congress, not the president
should control Reconstruction
-Southerners including Texans elected many former
Confederate officials and soldiers to top state government
posts
 James Throckmorton was elected governor
 He served the confederacy as a commanding
general of the Frontier District of Texas
 And as commissioner to Native Americans
-Every Texan elected to the federal House of
Representatives in 1866 had been either a secessionist or a
Confederate officer who fought against the Union
 The Texas Legislature sent Judge O.M. Roberts,
president of the Texas Secession Convention of 1861,
to the United States Senate
 The leaders who had encouraged the people to secede
from the Union were now Congress
 Many Northerners thought this was an act of treason
-Southern legislatures took other troubling actions
 They refused to ratify two amendments to the United
States Constitution
 Ratify-approve
 Amendments-changes
 It rejected the 13th and 14th amendment
 13th amendment-abolish slavery
 14th amendment-granted citizenship to former
enslaved people
-Just as troubling to many Republicans, Southern states
governments restricted the rights of the African-Americans
 Black Codes differed from state to state but had
certain features in common
 Black Codes-laws limiting the rights of African
Americans
 They could not testify against whites in court
 They could not serve on the jury
 African Americans could only hold certain types of
jobs, generally in agriculture
 If they did not have a home or a job, the laws
forced them to work for plantation owners
 The Texas Codes restricted African Americans less
than the laws of some of the other Southern states
 The Texas Codes were still offensive to those
who wanted equal rights for all citizens
-Republicans in Congress who disagreed with Johnson
drew up their own plan for Reconstruction
 The Radical Republicans pushed several goals in their
plan
 To set stricter standards for admitting the
Southern states back into the Union
 To protect the freedom of African-Americans in
the South
 Many Republicans genuinely cared about the freed
slaves
 They were also aware that protect the rights of
African-Americans would help the Republican
Party stay in power.
 Freedman who had the right to vote would likely
vote for Republicans
-The Radical Republicans gained control of both the United
States House and the Senate in the 1866 Congressional
elections
 Now having the power to override any presidential
veto they launched their own ideas for Reconstruction.
 Veto-an action refusing to approve a law; to
reject
 Johnson’s accusers argued that Congress should have
the supreme power to make the laws of the land
 The president believed he had the right to challenge
any laws he believed were unconstitutional
-Johnson refused to give up and fought against the Radical
program
 The struggle came to a stop
 In February of 1868 the House of Representatives
voted to impeach Johnson by bringing charges of
misconduct in office
 Impeach-bring charges against
 The president was tried before the Senate
 The president’s accusers failed by one vote to convict
him
 Johnson finished the rest of his term, but lost most of
his influence
-New Requirements for Statehood
 In March 1867 Congress divided the South into five
districts
 Texas and Louisiana made up one district
 Commanded by Major General Phillip Sheridan
 Under this plan the military would rule the districts
until the states met certain requirements
 Among these was the adoption of the new state
constitutions that gave African-American men the
right to vote and hold office
 Congress required the states to ratify the 14th
amendment to the U.S Constitution
 14th amendment-granted citizenship to former
enslaved people
 Some states including Texas were also required to
ratify the 15th amendment
 15th amendment-guaranteed African-American
men the right to vote
 States also had to repeal the black codes
-Under the Congressional plan, many voters had to take
what became known as the Ironclad Oath
 Ironclad Oath-stated that they had not voluntarily
served in the Confederate army or given aid to the
Confederacy
 This oath kept thousands of Southerners from voting
-The congressional plan for Reconstruction pleased
African-Americans and Unionists
 Most former Confederates and former secessionists
considered it much too harsh
 Federal officials believed that Governor
Throckmorton did not put the Reconstruction laws
into effect
-One of the first acts of General Sheridan was to remove
Governor Throckmorton from office on July 30, 1867
 Elisha M. Pease, Throckmorton’s opponent in the
1866 election, was appointed in his place
 Pease had been a Unionist and was more
sympathetic to the goals of the Republicans in
Congress
 Pease was also well respected by the majority of
Texans
-During the summer and fall of 1867, military officials
removed hundreds of state a local leaders who were
considered opponents of Reconstruction
 They were replaced with individuals more acceptable
to the Radical Republicans
-Southern whites who supported Reconstruction were
called scalawags
-Northerners who often came to the South during this
period were called carpetbaggers
 This name came from the belief that carpetbaggers
carried all their possessions in traveling bags made of
carpet
 Some were sincerely interested in helping rebuild the
nation
 Others were there for political or economic gain
 Few carpetbaggers actually arrived in Texas
-Texans who supported Reconstruction worked for the
rights of former slaves to vote but organizations like Ku
Klux Klan used violence and threats to prevent AfricanAmericans from voting
 Klan members wearing hoods and robes to hide
their identities, burned crosses in the yards of
African-Americans
 They whipped and hung African-Americans who
tried to exercise their rights to equality
-In February 1868, Texans who qualified to vote elected
delegates to a new convention
 The delegates which included African-Americans
completed a new constitution in February1869
-The Constitution of 1869 provided that no one should be
excluded from voting because of race or color
 Also provided more support for public education than
any other Texas Constitution
 It extended numerous rights to African-Americans
 Protected public lands
 It expanded the power of the governor and the
legislature
 It was approved in November and at the same time
they elected a governor and other state officials
 Including 11 African-Americans who were
elected to legislature
-The Radical Republicans’ candidate for governor
Edmund J. Davis narrowly defeated Andrew J. Hamilton
in the 1869 election
 The new legislature contained a Radical Republican
majority
 It quickly ratified the 14th and 15th amendments to the
United States Constitution
 The legislature also declared that all acts passed by the
legislature during the Civil War had no binding legal
force
-On March 30, 1870 President Ulysses S. Grant signed the
proclamation that Reconstruction in Texas was ended.
 By the end of the year all of the Southern states had
rejoined the Union on the Radical Republicans’ terms
 From a legal point of view Reconstruction was over
 Many Texans believed that Reconstruction was not
over as long as Governor Davis and Radical
Republicans controlled the Texas government
-Many who were against Governor Davis viewed his term
as the darkest period of Reconstruction
 Davis was an active and powerful governor and often
provoked controversy
 For example, Davis claimed that he only used the state
police to keep law and order
 He argued there was a need to protect the freedmen
and to fight crime and lawlessness
 His opponents charged that the state police also were
used to threaten those who opposed the governor
 Some white Texans resented the use of Tejanos and
African-Americans as state policeman
-Some critics complained that Davis and Republicans in
legislature used their powers to restrict activities of their
political opponents
 The legislature gave Davis the authority to use
military forces in the event of civil disturbances
 The legislature also postponed elections, giving the
officials who were elected in 1869 another year in
office
-Increased spending in law enforcement and public
education meant the government needed to raise more
money
 In 1865 the state tax rate had been 15 cents on every
$100 worth of property
 By 1872 the combined state and county tax rate had
increased to more than $2 on each $100 worth of
property
 Even with the increase in the tax rate the state debt
continued to grow
-Because Davis was so disliked it is easy to forget that
Davis and the Republicans started some worthwhile
projects and completed others
 Improved roads
 Built forts
 Passed a new Homestead Act
 Set up free public schools
 Educational leaders today consider that school
system to have been 50 years ahead of its time
 Attendance was compulsory, or required
 And the tax system provided enough money to
maintain the schools
-In 1872 anti-Davis Democrats won a majority vote of seats
in the legislature
 The new legislature immediately reduced the
governor’s power
 It abolished the state police force
 It also limited the governor’s authority to appoint
officials
-In 1873 Davis ran for re-election against Richard Coke,
the Democratic candidate
 The campaign was bitter
 Republicans urged African-Americans to support
Governor Davis
 During the election campaign, Davis focused on the
programs he had begun
 Coke focused on states’ rights issues and talked about
returning Texas to the times before the Civil War and
Radical Reconstruction
-Cokes platform of political goals appealed to many of the
white settlers and immigrants
 Coke also appealed to businessmen who wanted to see
the railroad and industry expand
 He also drew support from the farmers
-More freedmen voted in 1873 than had voted in the1869
election for governor
 More would’ve voted except for the actions of some
Democratic supporters
 Democrats used threats and violence to keep
African-Americans from voting
-Richard Coke received twice as many votes as Davis
 85,459 to 42,633
 Democrats won other state offices and added to their
majority of the legislature
-Different interpretations of the law under which the
election had been conducted plunged Texas into a crisis
from December 1873 until mid-January 1874
 Democrats claimed that Coke should take office in
January
 Republicans maintained that Davis should remain
governor until April 28, 1874
 The legality of the election for other official was also
questioned
-The Texas Supreme Court, whose members had been
appointed by Davis, decided in favor of the Republicans,
declaring the election unconstitutional
 Democrats organized a new government anyway
 On January 15, 1874 Democratic supporters occupied
the halls of the legislature on the second floor of the
capitol
 Claims that Governor Davis had soldiers
positioned on the lower floor where the executive
offices were located
 Soldiers brought in to protect Davis switched
sides and joined Coke’s supporters
-Finally on January 15, 1874 Coke was sworn in as
governor.
 Governor Davis made a final appeal to President Grant
asking for the United States support to keep him in the
office
 Two days later the attorney General sent a telegram
telling Davis that President Grant would not send
troops to Austin
 Davis finally left the governor’s office on January 17,
1874
-The period of Republican control was over
-Reconstruction in Texas had come to an end